Australian track cyclist and former world champion Melissa Hoskins has died at the age of 32, according to her country’s Olympic Committee. Hoskins lost her life after being run over in a tragic accident in Adelaide. A statement issued by Australian police indicated that a 32-year-old woman had died last Sunday after being hit by a car driven by a man “known to the woman.” Local media identified the woman as Hoskins. The woman “sustained serious injuries and was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment,” according to the police statement. “Sadly, she passed away in hospital overnight.”
Who Was Cyclist Melissa Hoskins?
Melissa Hoskins was a great athlete in track cycling becoming world champion and setting a world record in 2015 as part of Australia’s women’s pursuit quartet. In addition, the cyclist competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games in the same event, missing a medal by just 0.181 seconds in the summer event held in London.
What Was the Cause of the Death of the Cyclist?
Australian national broadcaster ABC and other local media reported that Hoskins‘ husband, Rohan Dennis, a two-time world time trial champion and Tour de France stage winner, was arrested and charged with causing her death. The police statement did not mention the 33-year-old man who was “arrested and charged with causing death by dangerous driving, driving without due care and endangering life”.
Authorities added that he was released on bail and is due to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on March 13. A police spokesperson said it is her policy not to confirm the names of accused people involved in an incident, although it has been confirmed that he is her husband. Melissa Hoskins retired in May 2017 after the Rio Olympics, she married Dennis in February 2018 and had two children.
This story was written in Spanish by Miguel Fernandez in Cultura Colectiva.
